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I didn't exactly plan to bake this. It just happened that while rummaging through the fridge for food, I came across this bag of apples. There were at least half a dozen of them. Huge pink Fuji apples.

Well, might as well bake some apple lattice tarts using them.

Ingredients

(Makes 12 medium tarts OR 24 mini tarts)

- 1 apple, sliced into thin pieces

- 2 tablespoonfuls of brown sugar

- 1 teaspoonful of corn starch

- 0.5 teaspoonful of salt

- 280g flour

- 150g unsalted butter

- 3 tablespoonful of powdered sugar

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 egg white

Method

1. Melt butter in huge mixing bowl.

2. Add in flour, eggs and powdered sugar to the butter.

3. Knead to make dough. Wrap with cling wrap and chill in fridge for 40 minutes.

4. In a pan, simmer the apple slices, brown sugar, corn starch and salt till mixture is soft. Add some water if mixture gets too dry. Ensure that mixture is not too watery.

5. Shape the dough and scoop apple filling on the dough pieces. Cover with dough strips to make the lattice.

6. Preheat the oven to 210 Degrees Celsius. Bake the tarts in it for around 30 minutes (or until golden brown).

Of course everyone knows what's Escape the Room. With the gaining popularity of the game, most places are offering real-life 5D experiences for puzzle-fanatics.

I've participated in one Escape the Room game during Medicamp (orientation camp for my faculty), then subsequently planned and organized a Halloween-themed Escape the Room with the members of my Youth Chapter. There, I know how tough it is to try to make the puzzle as convoluted and as confusing as possible. The hints have to be implicit, hidden in discreet places. But it's really fun to solve the hints and unlock the clues one by one.

When PA extended an invitation for me to participate in a Youth Chapter members get-together session at RoomRaider, Orchard Central, of course I'd be thrilled to join! Homework and other commitments can wait for a few hours, surely.

First thing as you walk into the place would be the mannequin in a full S.W.A.T gear. Apparently one of their themed rooms is "S.W.A.T".

Then you'll see this huge, fluffy, cuddly bear, which goes by the name of "Cuddles". A key feature of another one of their themed rooms!

See how large it is? I can't even hold it up properly!

We were grouped randomly into teams of 7-8 and I was allocated to group 1. Alright... time to stop being an awkward turtle and socialise a little.

First room: Hyperion. Difficulty level: 4/5

We were supposedly members of a space mission team, Team Alpha, stranded on Hyperion base. We needed to find a charged energy source to allow our spaceship to get back to Earth within 45 minutes. Any help/hints provided will deduct 5 minutes from our available time.

When we walked into the room, it was rather cramped and dim. The smoke machine worsened the lighting in the room. I seriously felt a little claustrophobic. Due to the poor lighting, it was hard to spot the clues (We did find a clue to the next room, but was useless in unlocking the door). Unfortunately, we were stuck on the first code. Fine, we pressed the "Help" button for a staff to give us a hint to the 4 digit combination electronic key pad. Uhoh, bad start.

Then the next place. We solved the puzzle on our own but took really long. Still, A for effort.

Unlocked room 3, and managed to finish everything BUT the last code. We were THAT close to the end... It sucked watching the countdown timer run to 0:00. Once the staff came in and prompted us, we finally managed to escape. SIGHS. That wasn't impressive at all. I'd hate to admit it but I don't like feeling stuck on puzzles. My inferiority complex will surface. Despite managing to decode 2 locks, I still felt lousy. The high-tech props in the room fascinated me for quite a bit. It was much better thought out than the next room.

After a short tea break, we commenced the next game.

Second room: Dark Mansion. Difficulty level: 4.5/5

So. In this scenario, we were jewellery thieves in the 19th century, trying to steal the Star of Angola from a Baron's house.

The first room was unlocked easy enough, but the real killer was the clues in the second room. We tried flipping through books and reading the riddle. We got everything that was important, but we just couldn't piece them together. I'm actually pretty glad I had Elissa in my group. She's really smart, yet both of us were stumped by the puzzle because... we both forgot our Geography. We waited a little too long for help. When the staff explained to us again, we were like, "HOLY SHIT. It was RIGHT there! We had it all along, just that we read it the wrong way." *facepalm*

We escaped the room within 42 minutes, but the Help call made us exceed our new stipulated time by a little. Perhaps we should have sounded for help earlier. :/

Group 1 photo!

Full group photo!

It was a pretty cool experience overall, though I had expected a more professional room setup and reality kind of disappointed me a little. Still, I'd have to say that the games were really awesome for group bonding! The puzzles were rather challenging, and when you solve it, you'll be overwhelmed by an ineffable sense of satisfaction.

Since this event was hosted by PA Youth Chapter division, it was Free-of-Charge for us members. We even got a Youth Chapter souvenir pack complete with Selfie stick (YESH! I've been wanting one for ages!), portable charger, USB drive, and etc stationery. YAYzers! :D

It was hardly surprising that the moment my family decided on going out for Tze Char, everyone suggests going back to Bai Le again.

This time round, they had new promotions again! 3 dishes were going at $12 each. They were the Crispy-skin Chicken with Garlic, the Thai-style Fried Fish and Chilli/Black Pepper Crab at $12 per crab (with minimum order of 2 crabs).

It's honestly pretty smart of the stall owners to constantly churn out new dishes and value-for-money promotions. It keeps the crowd coming, and true enough, when we went, it was really crowded. We had to wait for about half an hour before our dishes were presented to us. I guess they were understaffed that day. However, the staff were all really cheery and service was great despite the crazy dinner crowd.

Being the health-freak that I am, I can't stand meals without veggies. So here's some Stir-fried Kai Lan with garlic. Crunchy, refreshing and simple.

This is the amazingly worthy $12 dish! The Thai-styled Fried Fish (Grouper). It was obviously crispy, but I'd say that it would be a lot nicer if the chef was more generous with the sweet, sour and spicy Thai sauce. The sauce tasted of pineapples and lime, and it really reminded me of the achar I used to make during my secondary school's Home Economics Cooking classes. haha.

The Yang Zhou Fried Rice was quite tasty. I liked how the rice was neither too hard and dry, nor too soggy and sticky. It was fried to the perfect moistness and the grains separated easily. The umami flavour of the ingredients was infused into the rice.

More veggies! Stir-fried Nai Bai Cai with Garlic. Fresh and leafy!

The Salad You Tiao with Pork Floss was awesome! It was piping hot when it arrived at our table, and the crisp outer skin served as a great contrast to the soft inner squid filling. Mayonnaise dips go well with it!

Their Fish Maw's Seafood Soup was delightfully tasty. The chicken stock wasn't too overwhelming for I could still taste the freshness of the seafood ingredients like sliced fish, prawns, crab meat, and fish maw. Combined with vinegar and pepper, it really tasted like the Shark's Fin soup served in those high-class restaurants.

The Crispy-skin Garlic Chicken was roasted to the ideal crispness. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the flesh was still tender and succulent. The flavour of the spices was infused into the meat such that every single bite was an enjoyment.

Although the Chilli Crab was at a discounted price of $24 for the entire dish, the taste wasn't as good as I had expected. Firstly, the chilli gravy tasted strange. Normally, chilli crabs have this slight ketchup-y taste but this particular version didn't have any. I couldn't quite put my finger on what weird ingredients was added into this dish. Personally, I thought the closest taste I would associate with it was of chopped peanuts and herbal soup. An eccentric combination indeed. I would say it was one of the worse tasting chilli crab dishes that I've ever tasted, on par with Ban Heng Restaurant's Chilli Crab. (Ban Heng's review here!) My recipe for chilli crab is definitely better than theirs! (Recipe here.)

The Hotplate Tofu was subpar. Well, I would say my recipe for hotplate tofu tastes better than theirs! (Recipe here!) Mistake number 1: they didn't use egg tofu. Though the tofu was silky, it lacked the added flavour that makes it stand out from any other typical tofu dish. I realised the chef wasn't as liberal in using as great a variety of ingredients in this dish. Mushrooms bring out the umami taste in many kinds of dishes. By skimping on the use of mushrooms, you're most likely going to compromise the taste of the dish. The egg layer was also too dry, with none of the semi-cooked feel of the egg in an authentic hotplate tofu dish. This showed that the egg was probably left on the hot plate for too long before it was topped with the gravy and tofu. Uh oh, pretty presentation can't always make up for unsatisfactory flavour.

The Cereal Prawns were of a decent size, fleshy, but the meat was a little too tough for my liking. Guess I can't be too picky for it's hard (and there's actually a trick) to keep prawns tender after they've been through such heavy frying together with the cereals. Good thing was that the cereal was crunchy and sumptuous.

We had 10 dishes and the bill totalled up to only around $170. I can see your jaws dropping and your eyes popping. YES. You didn't read it wrongly. Prawns, fish, crabs, the works. EVERYTHING less than 200 bucks. Pretty insane, huh?

Best deal ever! Even if the taste of some dishes didn't exactly meet the mark, the price is definitely a steal.

Overall, it's a rather decent meal. I foresee more future visits, especially if the stall keeps introducing new dishes! :)

I find it amazingly ironic that health-conscious medical students like my clinical group friends would release our inhibitions and go on such an unhealthy Hawker Food Trail adventure, stuffing ourselves full with cholesterol-laden but deliciously sinful gastronomical delights.

Located in Serangoon Gardens, it's one of the best go-to places for local food in Singapore, despite the fact that the price of their food isn't exactly cheap. All of its stalls have multiple accolades, as can be seen from the various newspaper clippings plastered all over their shop fronts.

It only springs to life in the late evenings, from around 5.30pm onwards. Owing to its small size, it's pretty hard to get seats, so I don't think Chomp Chomp is really suitable for large gatherings.

At 6pm on a weekday night, it's already extremely crowded. If you've been to East Coast Park's food centre, you would be familiar with the ordering system here. First, you remember your table number, then you head over to order your dishes at the stalls. You may pay on the spot, or pay when the dish arrives at your table.

The main highlight of Chomp Chomp would definitely be their satay, oft lauded by locals as the best satays in Singapore.

Satays go from $0.50 per stick with a minimum order of 10 sticks. This plate was from the Chomp Chomp Satay Bee Hoon stall. Later on, I went to get satays from Fang Yuen too. Fang Yuen's satays had a slightly spicier taste, with more flavour infused in it. I'd say Fang Yuen's satays taste better. Both stalls' peanut sauces taste equally delicious.

Daily Fresh BBQ Chicken Wings

There are quite a few stalls in Chomp Chomp that sells bbq chicken wings ($1.20 per piece). I went to Daily Fresh. The wings are grilled to just the right consistency, with crispy skins, slightly charred tips and fleshy meat that oozes with each bite. However, I think that the flavour of the marinated sauce has not completely gone into the meat. The lime and the chilli sauce added some much needed zest to the entire dish. To me, I'd think that East Coast Park's chicken wings stall sells better tasting bbq wings.

Ah Hock's Hokkien Mee ($5) is very much similar to Nam Sing Hokkien Mee at Old Airport Road Food Centre. Both utilises bee hoon (thin noodles), and both are the "drier" types without too much gravy. The noodles taste pretty good, especially if lime is sprinkled over the plate. However, we didn't get any pork lard in our dish. Apparently we have to ask for it due to health reasons

Truth be told, I'd say that I'd rate Nam Sing's Hokkien Mee above Ah Hock's for the savoury flavour of the prawn stock is more distinct for Nam Sing's.

Overall, it was still an awesomely satisfying dinner, despite us stinking of bbq when we left Chomp Chomp.

Time for an insane workout session to get rid of the calories gained on our foodie adventures!

I am on a quest, an important mission to explore all the famous food haunts in Singapore!

Being the gluttons that we were, my clinical group friends and I decided to go on an atypical outing - A HAWKER FOOD TRAIL.

First Stop: Old Airport Road Food Centre.

Just a stone's throw away from Dakota MRT Station (on the Circle Line), this particular iconic food centre has been consistently ranked among the top few hawker centres to visit in Singapore. It has got one of the highest concentrations of famous, classic stall selling authentic local food at affordable prices.

Being typical Singaporeans, we don't actually decide what to queue for beforehand - we go with the flow and queue at the stalls with the longest queues. >.<

Even on a weekday afternoon, there were queues forming and on average, you had to wait for 5 - 10 minutes to get your food.

The best thing about eating with friends? You get to have a taste of a greater variety of food!

Look at that delicious spread! The soya bean curd and curry puffs aren't in this picture because we had them as our desserts.

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow

Recommended dish: Prawns and sotong Fried Kway Teow ($4)

The Fried Kway Teow from this stall is unique for it has fresh juicy prawns, squids and cockles. You most definitely wouldn't find all these ingredients in a normal plate of Fried Kway Teow! The Kway Teow is not too sweet but it's extremely savoury, given that the tasty seafood flavour is infused into the dish. Personally, I loved how the kway teow isn't too sticky or mushy, it's perfect enough for me!

Nam Sing Fried Hokkien Mee

Recommended dish: Fried Hokkien Mee ($5)

First thing that strikes me would be how their Hokkien Mee uses quite a lot of thin noodles (bee hoon), and it's the dry type. The noodles were cooked al dente but I suppose because we didn't take away the dish, the noodles didn't absorb the gravy as much. It was still one of the better Hokkien Mees around that I've tried!

Xiang Ji Lor Mee

Recommended dish: Lor Mee ($6 - the EXTRA LARGE portion)

(I didn't manage to snap a solo shot of the lor mee. :( The only pic I have of it is in my very first combined pic at the top of the post. Photo credits goes to sgentertainmentyahoo.)

The fried fish served by Xiang Ji in its Lor Mee makes it stand out from the other lor mee stalls. The noodles are done perfectly and the gravy is flavourful, with a slightly herbal tinge. It's definitely one of the better lor mees I've tasted. Perhaps it's time to head over to Maxwell Food Centre for another comparison?

Toa Payoh Rojak

Recommended dish: Rojak ($3)

Crispy You Char Kway, savoury prawn paste based rojak sauce, and juicy cucumbers make a great combination! Best rojak ever!

Jackson Fried Prawn Noodles

Recommended dish: Oyster Omelette ($5)

(I didn't manage to snap a solo shot of the oyster omelette. :( The only pic I have of our orh jian is in my very first combined pic at the top of the post. Photo credits goes to vallybelly.)

The stall owner is generous in doling out large portions of fresh and big oysters! Coupled with the crisp outside and springy inside of the orh jian, it totally made me forget about the calories I'll gain just by eating this deliciously sinful dish!

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd

Recommended dish: Soya Beancurd ($1.50)

The hype about Lao Ban tau huay is not without basis. With a soft and silky texture, the chilled sweet dessert is sure to leave you craving for more!

Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff

Recommended dish: Crispy Layered Original Curry Puff ($1.30)

(photo credits goes to alice in the yummyland)

Forget about the mainstream designs of typical curry puffs like Old Chang Kee's. What's unique about this stall's curry puffs would be its beautifully intricate layered design! You can actually peel the crust off layer by layer! Flaky on the outside and juicy on the inside, it'd rank as the best curry puff I've ever had.

It's impossible to patronise every single stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre at one go. This definitely calls for a return trip!

Now there's no doubt to why this food centre remains one of Singaporeans' favourite hawker haunts!

Once you step into the cafe, you'll be greeted by a wall of colourful skateboards, Darth Vader (with an ice cream scoop) and a Stormtrooper. AHA. Welcome to the Dark Side.

At around 5pm on a weekday, the place is very much empty. Aside from a group of students and my friends, there were no other patrons.

The randomly placed ukulele and magazines are available for customers to play and read, and makes us feel extremely at ease. Great place to chillax. :)

I love the minimalist industrial design of the place. The dark hues of the furniture and whitewashed walls made the ice cream parlour seem more spacious that it actually was.

The glass board with their menu written in chalk further enhanced the "homey" feel of the cafe.

What's a visit to Oblong if you didn't manage to try their signature red velvet waffles with cream cheese?

Their waffles was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The only difference between their red velvet waffles and the typical waffles in other ice cream parlours would be the hint of chocolatey taste and the red food colouring. Well, at least it's a pretty, Instagram-worthy shot.

The highlight of the waffles would definitely be their warm, moist cream cheese. It's comfortably sweet, and the cheesy flavour is not too overwhelming. It's complements the waffles perfectly!

Cookies and Cream was typically Cookies and Cream. No wow factor there.

Earl Grey Lavender had this really rich Earl Grey taste and I loved it! Its flavour was stronger than Creamier's version of Earl Grey Lavender. Thumbs up for that!

The cost of the waffles plus two scoops would be around SGD15. Definitely more expensive than Creamier too. They do offer promotional sets of a dessert (brownie/lava cake) and a drink at around SGD 10.

Overall, it's a decent place to hang out with friends and enjoy a scoop or two occasionally. I'll probably drop by there again if I happen to be around the area.

When life gives you lemons, making lemonade is way too mainstream. Go bake some lemon glazed cookies instead!

Crunchy and sweet, with a slight tangy tinge of citrus lemony flavour, these cookies are perfect for a mini tea time snack.

Ingredients:

(gives about 6 batches of cookies, a dozen a batch - but actual numbers may vary depending on thickness of your cookies)

Cookie dough:

- 375g and 3 tablespoonfuls of flour

- 1.5 tablespoonfuls of corn starch

- 3/4 teaspoonful of baking soda

- 3/4 teaspoonful of salt

- 165g of unsalted butter (melted)

- 200g castor sugar

- 90g brown sugar

- 2 and 3/4 tablespoonfuls of fresh lemon zest

- 2 eggs

- 3 tablespoonfuls of fresh lemon juice

- 2 and 1/4 teaspoonful of vanilla extract

Glaze:

- 1.5 cups of powdered sugar (around 375cm3)

- 3 tablespoonful of lemon juice

- A drop of green food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients for cookie dough in a large mixing bowl. Remember to add in the flour slowly and knead at the same time so that you can control the moistness of the dough.

2. Knead dough till desired texture is achieved.

3. Chill in fridge for around 15 minutes.

4. Cut cookie dough into different shapes using your cookie cutter. If you don't have any cookie cutters, just roll dough into mini balls and flatten them.

5. Preheat oven to around 210 degrees celsius.

6. Put the cut cookies into the oven and bake for around 10 minutes/ until the cookies turn a soft yellow brown. Remember to flip cookies to ensure even colouring on both sides.

7. Remove cookies to cool on a cooling rack.

8. Mix the glaze and pour mixture into piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag, you can always make your own by using those plastic sandwich bags and cutting a small little hole at its edge to allow the glaze to flow through. Remember to tie the top of the bag using a rubber band before you squeeze.

9. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies and wait for glaze to solidify.

To be honest, the steps for baking egg tarts are quite manageable and if you follow the amounts mentioned below, you'll be guaranteed to get the perfect pastry crust and custard filling. (Don't be lazy! Take out your electronic balance to measure the amounts. Be exact!)

Ingredients:

(For 16 egg tarts)

Pastry crust:

- 280g plain flour

- 2 tbsp icing sugar

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 egg white

- 150g salted butter

Custard filling:

- 75g castor sugar

- 75ml hot water

- 2 whole eggs

- 125ml fresh milk

- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

- a pinch of salt

Method

1. For pastry, cream butter together with icing sugar, egg yolk and egg white using an electric mixer.

2. Add in the flour and mix well. Knead to make dough. If dough is too wet or oily, add more flour.

3. Wrap dough in cling wrap and chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

4. Afterwards, cut into small pieces, roll into dough balls and flatten it in aluminium tart shells. You can decorate it in whatever way you wish.

5. Place in fridge for 30 min.

6. In another bowl, add castor sugar into hot water and mix till completely dissolved. Set to cool.

Having combination skin that's sensitive to most facial products is awfully annoying and troublesome, and that's from first-hand experience. Like most people out there, I have traces of oil from my forehead and nose, and dry cheeks.

Whenever I attempt to use makeup (for on-stage performances or special occasions), my face would erupt in angry red zits the very next day. No matter how thoroughly I remove the makeup or do any post-makeup skin care regime, the same acne disaster will strike without fail.

I've tried Biotherm, TheFaceShop, Odbo, and many other brands of skin products but they don't seem to work effective enough for me to protect my skin from these inflammations. Finally, I've decided I've had enough with slathering such chemicals onto my skin, and forking out so much money to achieve little results.

Perhaps home remedies will be much cheaper and work better for me. IT DID.

1. Vinegar skin cleanser/toner

Using vinegar as a skin cleanser/toner dates back to ancient times (think Helen of Troy)! After you wash your face, mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar with 2 cups water as a finishing rinse to cleanse and tighten your skin. It's great for unblocking pores and preventing acne infections! My face cleared after about a month of using this daily. Do take note that it might dry your skin, so I think it's better to use it only once every two or three days after your acne condition gets better.

2. Lemon facial mask

I know how frustrating it can be to attempt to remove acne scarring or pigmentation from your skin. It definitely takes a lot of time, and it can't be rushed. Just get some fresh lemon juice, dilute it with twice the amount of water, some honey, soak a cotton pad with the mixture and dab it all over your face. Leave it on for about 15 - 20 minutes and then rinse it off. It might sting slightly for some people. In such cases, dilute the mixture further. Do keep it away from open wounds and stay away from sunlight! Lemon juice causes your skin to become more photosensitive and increases your likelihood of getting sunburns. In about 2 months, you'll see a visible lightening of your pigmentation and scarring.

3. Aloe Vera Moisturizer

You know that itch in your hands you'll get when you see a huge ugly pimple. You just can't resist picking at it, poking it and squeezing out the gross pus. Then, as you look at the gaping wound in dismay, you'll regret your actions and fear the subsequent scarring that will most definitely happen. Aloe Vera gel helps reduce the likelihood of getting such scarring for it haswound healing and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation. It stimulates the growth of new cells and helps the skin heal quickly and naturally with minimal scarring. It is extremely cooling, keeps your skin hydrated, reduced wrinkles/stretch marks and it has anti-ageing properties too! How awesome is that?

With a combination of these 3 home remedies, my acne condition is kept in check and hopefully, in a bit more time, I'll get rid of all those small pigmentations/scarring on my cheeks. The marks on my forehead are almost gone!

The meatloaf is essentially a giant blob of bread + minced meat + a mishmash of other veggies.

Honestly it's not hard to bake. For such an awesome tasting dish, you'd imagine the steps to be exceptionally befuddling and complicated. It's just really tedious to prepare the ingredients, and arduously wait for it to be properly baked in the oven.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

- 2 lbs lean ground pork

- 2 cups soft breadcrumbs

- 2 beaten eggs

- 1/2 cup Prego tomato-flavoured sauce

- 2 cloves minced garlic

- 1 chopped medium sized tomato

- 2 teaspoons salt

- 1 pork sausage, minced

- 1 dash pepper and italian herbs

- A handful of finely grated cheese

- 1 medium finely chopped onion

Method

1. Thoroughly mix all ingredients.

2. Shape in loaf pan.

3. Glaze with more sauce if desired.

4. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. Remember to flip after every half an hour.

Day 2 of 2015, and it's still way too early to not keep my new year resolutions.

So when my alarm rung at the ungodly (at least, to me) hour of 7.00am in the morning, I hit the snooze button, tossed to my other side, and promptly went back to sleep.

Thereafter, an internal battle ensued.

My mind was yelling at me, "GET UP OFF YOUR ASS YOU LAZY BUM, go for your morning jog!" but my body was dragging me down deep into the comforts of my cushy bed. Besides, such great weather warrants a few more minutes or hours in bed, right? I could almost hear the morning breeze whispering enticingly beside my ears.

Sheer determination overcame my slothy-ness and I've decided just standing barefooted on the cold hard ground would wake me enough so I won't flop back onto my bed like some boneless jellyfish.

THERE! Much better.

The 5.5km jog around the neighbourhood was pretty rejuvenating. It wasn't that tiring, given I had walked half of the entire distance... hehe. *sheepish grin*

I figured breakfast should be healthy too, so I made banana milkshake, the easiest, 5 min breakfast mix perfect for busy and lazy people attempting to stay fit.

Honestly it was quite filling. Guess I know what I'll have for every alternate day's breakfast!

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice, and to make an end is to make a beginning." - T.S. Eliot

As the last few seconds of 2014 ticked by, I wasn't counting down. I wasn't eagerly anticipating the start of the new year, and shouting along with everyone else. I was watching The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on TV, munching on Lays, and making snarky comments about the on-screen characters. How anticlimactic.

When the movie finally ended, I glanced up at the clock and went, "OHDAMN. I missed the countdown by half an hour. Much lag." Then shrugged, cleaned up and plopped down onto my bed.

No biggie, I'm still going to be in my first year of uni, I don't have to start school immediately on 2nd Jan, I'm not working. There isn't going to be much flux in my life anyway. New Year resolutions can wait till my brain's functioning properly enough and not moaning for sleep like a bunch of half-crazed zombies hungering after fresh brains. Oops inappropriate metaphor.

As my friends know, I don't harbour much love for crowded places, where bodies are pressed against each other, and you barely have enough space without being shoved or nudged by complete strangers. I'm claustrophobic, actually, and I'm not a touchy-feely kind of person. No surprises there if I decline to go for countdowns. Nor clubbing invites. I'd very much prefer staying in the spacious comforts of my own home, thank you very much.

Now, when I'm penning down this post, I suppose I feel a slight tinge of nostalgia, and a sliver of anticipation.

I have very solemnly promised myself to stick to my new year resolutions this year.

#1 Keep fit, eat healthy and slim down more!

#2 Spend more time with my family. Studying/ busy med school/heavy commitments are not valid excuses.

#3 Don't procrastinate and study consistently!

#4 Try to make an effort to be nicer (and keep my sarcastic snappy self in check)

#5 Go out more often with friends! Don't be an anti-social hermit! (ah well, I exaggerate.)

SO THERE. Sometimes I need people to guilt trip me once in a while to remember to stick to my resolutions, but this year, I'll TRY to take my own initiative.